In the Hands of War : Book II
by Illyandria V
Summary: sequel to book 1. ares gets involved in the dark arts to save one close to his heart


~*~  
  
Title: In the Hands of War : Book II  
  
Author: Illyandria Salara Valassiah  
  
Disclaimer: Xena, Ares, and others that appear in the series "Xena: Warrior Princess" belong solely to MCA, Universal, and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction.  
  
Rathing: PG-13  
  
Violence/Sex/Profanity: Yep, all here. The sex in it is un-explicit rape, really only a mention of it. And then two other scenes, but not explicit.  
  
Author's Note: This story is a sequel to "In the Hands of War: Book I". I strongly suggest that you read it before continuing with this. Send all feedback to AresAdorer@aol.com  
  
Special Disclaimer: This story is by no means intended to slander or criticize the Hindu religion. I use one Hindu god in this story - a demonic god named Bali. I, not being of the Hindu religion, have no idea how he is truly represented. The representation of Bali in this work is purely my imagination. Also, all mentions of black magic and exorcism's are rituals of my imagination. I tried to find information to help me with designing the rituals, but really couldn't find a lot, so I tried the best I could. Forgive me if it's awful.   
  
Dedications: This story is dedicated to Kat, who bugged me everyday after Book I came out to write the sequel. It's been months, Kat, but I'm finally writing it! Kat also listened to me for hours when I was in a very bad mood and had to get things off my chest. Thank you so much, Kat! This story is also dedicated to Sarah, who helped me look up things for my story, encouraged me to no end, and was just a great friend! Thanks Sarah! It's also dedicated to Sara, who kinda encouraged me with promises of more fan fiction. LOL. I love all you guys!  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
CHAPTER ONE  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
"ARES!" Xena yelled.  
  
She couldn't believe it! How could he? That bastard!  
  
Ares, who had no idea what he'd done or that she was angry with him, appeared. He flashed her a charming grin --  
  
And got a punch in the face for his effort.   
  
He blinked, stunned, thinking he would have gotten a better greeting than that. After all, they had left on good terms, hadn't they?  
  
"What did I do now?" he asked.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" she screamed incredulously. "Damn it, Ares! You should know very well what you've done! I'm pregnant, you bastard!"  
  
He stared at her blankly for a moment, as if the words didn't register. Finally, a smile broke over his face as he realized that SHE was finally pregnant with HIS child! But his grin soon faded as he saw the angry expression Xena was wearing.  
  
"How could you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "How could you do this to me, Ares? How am I supposed to explain this to everybody? What I am supposed to do now? I can't have a child! I run around the whole gods damned countryside helping people and defeating armies! That's no life for a child!" She turned away from him as her voice choked on the last words.   
  
Ares came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a protective embrace. He looked down at her, and in the darkness saw tears glistening in her eyes. "Shh. Sweetheart, it's alright. We can go to Eileithyia...she knows how to get rid of the child. We don't have to have it if you don't want to..." He tried to keep his voice in a neutral, reasoning tone. By the gods he'd always wanted her to have his child...but that wasn't what she wanted.  
  
She turned in his embrace to look at him. Looking into those dark brown eyes that had so captured hers, she realized that he wasn't trying to hurt her, that he didn't plan this all...he just wanted her happy.  
  
"If you truly don't want to have my child, Xena, you don't have to," Ares repeated.  
  
She shook her head. "No...no. I *want* to have your child. I - I just don't know if I can be a mother, Ares. What kind of life would our child have traveling around with Gabrielle and I? But...I will have it... We'll think of something, right?"  
  
Ares nodded, and slowly leaned forward to kiss her. As their lips came together he moved his hands to her waist, and hers went around his neck.  
  
Their kiss was interrupted, however, as both heard a noise from the bushes. they moved away from each other quickly, and a couple seconds later, the irritating blond that Xena called a friend popped up. Ares groaned upon seeing it was her. He turned back to Xena.  
  
"If you need anything, Sweet, just call." He disappeared.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
TWO DAYS LATER  
  
Ares grinned. Man, this was turning out to be one ugly war!  
  
As he brutally stabbed yet another man he felt energy rush through him. War...how he loved it!   
  
For a moment his mind drifted to Xena, wondering how she was. She was only in her first month, surely she'd be alright? Just for a couple days...just long enough for him to wrap up this war...  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
Xena made her way through the market place, searching for Gabrielle. Where could she possibly be? She's went over the whole place with a fine-toothed comb twice already...  
  
Her ears picked up a far away scream. Sounded like a female. Gabrielle?  
  
Xena ran toward where she had heard the sound. Five men were crowded around Gabrielle. One of them held a knife to her throat. A sixth man, big and burly and disgusting, approached Xena.  
  
He sneered. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Petratonius. Your lover killed my brother. I thought I'd allow you to feel the same pain I did when I saw him run through." The warlord gestured to Gabrielle. The man holding the knife to her throat pushed it even closer against her pale skin. A drop of blood issued.  
  
Xena took a deep breath through clenched teeth. "Leave her out of this. Take me instead."  
  
Petratonius raised a pleased eyebrow. "As you wish."  
  
Two of his men came up behind Xena and chained her in manacles. Petratonius mounted his horse and pulled Xena up roughly in front of him. As they galloped away, the men released Gabrielle.  
  
"Xena! What are you doing?!" Gabrielle yelled out.  
  
"I'll be fine, Gabrielle," Xena called back, already down the road.   
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
"You see, my dear, my brother was *very* important to me," Petratonius droned on.  
  
Xena almost shook her head in disgust. What was with the bad guys always going on and on and on before beating her?  
  
She was chained between two posts in his personal tent. Her wrists already were starting to her, but of course her face didn't show it. She finally snapped.  
  
"Would you just get on with it for the gods' sakes? Damn!"  
  
Petratonius arched an eyebrow.  
  
I've never heard of a woman *asking* to be beaten...but this is the warrior princess...  
  
"As you wish," Petratonius said. He backhanded her across the face. He told her how he was going to make her suffer for what happened to his brother as he continued to beat her.   
  
As he packed an admirable punch to her stomach, she suddenly remembered she was with child. She cursed herself silently for being so dull. Maybe she should call for Ares...these were extreme circumstances...  
  
No. She wasn't the god of war's chosen for nothing. She could do this.  
  
These thoughts had averted her attention from the pain for a short time, but it came back as Petratonius took out a whip and lashed out at her back.   
  
She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.   
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
HALF AN HOUR LATER  
  
Though it hurt like Tartarus, her face remained a mask of defiance. He'd only hurt her back and stomach for some reason, and she was sure her child was dead. And she felt like crying, but she'd be damned if she did it in front of him, or anybody for that matter.   
  
Her mind drifted to Ares. Why didn't she call him?  
  
Because I don't need him, she reminded herself.  
  
How long was she going to kid herself? No, she didn't need him, but if she didn't call she'd end up dead.   
  
Petratonius leered down at her. "Having fun yet?" he asked her.  
  
"Much," she muttered.  
  
"Well, good, you're just gonna love what we're going to do later." He gave her a triumphant look and walked from the tent.   
  
A couple minutes later two soldiers walked in, undid her manacles, and grabbed her upper arms roughly. They drug her over to the bed, laid her down on it, forced her to spread her arms and legs so that her body was forming a type of X, and then manacled her down again. With one last grin they left her.  
  
She cursed to herself. This wasn't good. This really wasn't good. Of course she'd been raped before, but...it had never been a pleasant experience...far from it...  
  
Petratonius soon returned to the tent and looked at Xena with an anticipating smile on his face.   
  
"The mighty warrior princess...not so mighty now, are we?" he asked. "You must know that you are quite the temptation... A man would have to be driven insane by the Furies not to want you..." With that, he jumped onto the bed, drawing a dagger and ripping away the bit of material that still covered her.   
  
Xena closed her eyes in disgust. In the back of her mind, she wanted so badly to get out of this situation, to call for her love. Yet, she was an independent woman, and seemed to think that she had something to prove to the world: that she was strong and could get through anything.  
  
She tried to blank her mind and remove herself from her body. Finding that she couldn't concentrate enough to accomplish that task, she tried to imagine it was Ares that was on top of her, not Petratonius. However, that thought made her sick for Ares was passionate, loving, something that Petratonius could never be. So, instead she tried to turn her mind from the bastard atop her and focused on her mind's image of Ares' face. The soft, dark curls of his hair...those dark brown eyes that enticed her so...the muscular body she lived to wake up next to...  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
Again she was chained to the two posts in his tent, although this time she was nude. Petratonius had left after getting what he wanted out of her.  
  
She shifted restlessly and licked the cut on her bottom lip, swallowing the blood that came forth.  
  
Finally, she heard a noise outside of the tent. Moments later, Petratonius came back, a dagger in his hand.   
  
"Xena, Xena, Xena. Destroyer of Nations. Here, chained in my camp. Who would have thought I would have ever gotten this far? I've defeated the undefeatable warrior princess. I guess I should finish the job, right? Just like you finished my brother." He walked up to her and just grinned idiotically for a moment. He ran the dagger up her body, starting with her abdomen, going between her breasts, and finally settling at her throat.  
  
"You know, if you kill me, my 'lover' is gonna just kill you, ya know?" Xena said.   
  
A look of uncertainty crossed his face, and then vanished. "Oh, but it will be worth it. Besides, if he really cared about you, wouldn't he be here RIGHT now? He probably lost interest."  
  
"Oh, believe me, he hasn't lost interest. He's in Persia. And when he finds me dead, he WILL kill you, I promise you that. He'll kill you just like he killed your brother. He'll run you through without a second thought, and make sure you spend an eternity in Tartarus."  
  
"You're bluffing."  
  
"I don't bluff," she said with a knowing smirk on her face. She cocked her head to the side and gave him a superior look.  
  
That was all he could take. How dare this woman speak to him like this?  
  
Before he even thought about the consequences his actions could bring, he thrust the dagger into her stomach.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
Ares suddenly doubled over in the midst of the battlefield. He could feel something...a part of his soul being taken from him...his bond with his love being snapped...  
  
He screamed out in devastation and agony. He had to get to Xena.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
CHAPTER TWO  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
She was dead.  
  
Ares sat on his throne, hunched over, head in his hands. Aphrodite stood beside him, arms around his shoulders comfortingly. The other gods were lined against the walls of the room, their heads bowed, mourning the woman lying in the marble coffin. Gabrielle, Hercules, Iolaus, and Joxer were by the wall on his right, in to much shock to even cry. They were all looking uneasily at Ares. It was a humble moment. The once unbreakable god of war was in tears, as much as he tried to hide it.   
  
He'd lost her. The only thing in the wretched world that he needed. The only woman he had ever loved.  
  
Why hadn't he been there? He'd had a bad feeling about staying in Persia that long; why didn't he follow his gut? He should've been there to save her and their child.  
  
He looked up as he heard someone step in front of him. Gabrielle.  
  
"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, she'd still be alive," she said softly.   
  
He forced himself not to tell her he agreed. Instead he said, "No, Gabrielle. It wasn't your fault. It was mine... Mine for not being there when she needed me."  
  
Gabrielle shook her head. "Don't blame yourself." She walked back to the others.  
  
Ares sighed.  
  
Hades looked over at him, studying his features. He finally built up the courage to approach him.   
  
Ares looked over at him, wiping tears from his eyes as he gave him a questioning look.   
  
"Ares," Hades started, "I can let you see her. You didn't get to say good-bye, and it wasn't right. I can't bring her back, but I can let you say good-bye."  
  
Ares nodded, knowing his uncle was doing him a favor.   
  
"Come whenever you're ready," Hades said, and disappeared.  
  
Ares stood up and turned to face his sister. She was crying, and her eyes were red and swollen because of it. He stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her to him in a weak attempt of comfort. He ran his hands through her hair, whispering that everything would be okay. Her body shook as she cried, and he could feel a trail of tears run down his chest as her head rested near his heart. He finally pulled away from his sister.   
  
"I'm going to go say good-bye to her now, okay?" he whispered softly.  
  
She nodded. "Ar, I'm so sorry. I should be comforting you, not the other way around..."  
  
"No, sis, it's alright." He took her hand and squeezed it gently before disappearing in a flash of dark blue light.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
He appeared before his uncle in the Underworld.  
  
Hades nodded upon seeing him, and motioned to his left.  
  
"She's down that way," Hades said.   
  
Ares frowned. "What do you mean? We're in Tartarus... Why isn't she in the Elysian Fields?! You know she deserves it! She's done so much! Why is she in Tartarus?!" he yelled angrily.  
  
Hades put his hands up in a calming gesture. "Ares, it was her choice. You know that when someone goes into the Elysian Fields you either have your memories erased and live in ignorant bliss, or you don't know that you're dead and you just keep waiting and waiting for your family to come. She didn't want either of those things to happen to her. She wanted to remember you, and she didn't want to go there waiting for you when you'll never come."  
  
Ares bit back a cocky remark. He frowned angrily. "Why is she so stubborn?! She deserves better than Tartarus!" He stalked down the way his uncle had gestured to.  
  
Ares found Xena pacing in a dark, gloomy room. But when she saw him there, she stopped in mid step. They both stood there for a moment, looking into each other's eyes, and before they even knew what was going on they were in each other's arms again, kissing passionately.  
  
Ares ran his hands through her hair, down her body, and finally they rested around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He deepened the kiss, his tongue pushing through her lips.  
  
As they pulled away from each other, an angry look came over his face.  
  
"Why are you here, Xena?! You deserve better than Tartarus! And, by the gods, WHY didn't you call on me?!" he shouted at her.  
  
She had been looking him straight in the eyes, but it became too much for her and she looked down at the ground. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She stood there silently for a moment before finally whispering, "I - I'm here because...I...didn't want to forget you. And I didn't want to spend eternity thinking that you were coming only to never see you again. And as for why I didn't call for you...," she closed her eyes and bowed her head, "I didn't think I needed you... I didn't really think he'd do it. I - it was a lapse of judgement I guess... But you know me, Ares, better than you probably know yourself. I'm independent. It was not only a lapse of judgement, it was that I didn't WANT your help..."  
  
Though her head was still bowed, he could see the tears running down her face. The frustrated, sorrowful tears of agony. He wrapped his arms around her waist again, allowing her head to rest on his chest.  
  
"Shh. It'll be alright, Xe. I promise you that. I promise you I'll find a way to get you out of here, or else I'll join you," he whispered.  
  
She shook her head. "Don't make promises you can't keep."  
  
He tilted her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. A grin that only he could give came over his face as he said, "Hey, have a little faith. It's *me*." He kissed her one last time, tenderly, on her waiting lips, and then disappeared.  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of..."  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
The blue water rushed forward to the sandy beach of Aeaea as Ares walked along. He looked out to the ocean, looking at the glorious sunset. It was a gentle pink combined with an orange and yellow on the pale blue sky. He sighed, remembering when he and his princess use to watch the sunset together. It was one of the few moments of peace in their chaotic lives of battle.  
  
He walked on. Beasts of all sorts covered the island. Pigs, rats, snakes, dogs, and everything else you could imagine. And all of them use to be men. Ares shook his head, a small smile on his face.  
  
He made it at last to Circe's palace. Walking up to the doors, he opened them and stepped inside. Walking down the hallways, he found even more animals. Tigers, lions, monkeys, gorillas. When he came to the main room, he found Circe sitting at her desk, writing something in another language. He cleared his throat to alert her to his presence.  
  
As she turned and saw him there, a smile crossed her face and she stood up and walked over to him.  
  
They embraced, and when he pulled away, he looked her over. "You look just as you did the last time I saw you," he told her, and it was the truth.  
  
Circe had long, dark brown hair that she usually wore up. Today she had on a long white gown with a black cloak tied around her waist. Her body was thin, her arms long, and her fingers slender. She walked barefoot on the marble floor.  
  
"What brings you here?" Circe asked him.  
  
His face suddenly went grave. "I need a spell..."  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "You are no sorcerer, Ares. What could you possibly need with a spell?"  
  
He explains to her what happened to Xena.  
  
"She's everything to me, Circe. I need her back," Ares said. "I need to raise her from the dead."  
  
Circe shook her head. "You know what you're asking for? A spell of black magic, Ares. A spell that will call on a dark god for power."  
  
Ares nodded. "I know what I'm asking."  
  
"I'm surprised you would go as far as that...for a women no less..."  
  
"She is my WORLD! I cannot live without her! Why can't you see that?!"  
  
Circe backed away. "I understand perfectly what she means to you. That is why I shall give you what you ask..." She walked to a bookcase, pulling out a couple books. "I've never done a spell like that before...I'm not sure which book it would be in... So this might take awhile. Please sit down." She gestured to a couch across the room.   
  
Ares walked over to it. A tiger was lying down on it, taking up half the space. He sat down next to it's head and pet it, rubbing it behind the ears.   
  
"Don't you think you go a bit overboard sometimes, my dear?"  
  
Circe turned to look at him. "They get what they deserve," she said simply, and then went back to her books.  
  
The tiger rolled its eyes.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
Three long hours later, Circe sighed and went back over to the bookcase.  
  
"Now where is that book he brought ba - ah! Here it is!" She picked up an old book from the shelf and blew the dust off. "There should be a spell in here, I'm sure. I haven't looked through it yet."  
  
Ares got up from the couch and walked over to her, looking over her shoulder at the odd book.  
  
It was written in some different language, and the Greek translation was scrawled underneath it. Circe skimmed through each page, and finally came to the spell she was looking for. She scanned the ritual. "This should work... Okay. Ares, this is a Hindu ritual book of black magic that was written by a Hindu sorcerer. The spells call on the power of the demonic god, Bali. My apprentice brought this book back for me from his trip to India. This spell *should* work, but I'm not going to promise you anything." She took a piece of papyrus and book marked the page. She closed the book and handed it to Ares.  
  
He took it in his hands and thanked her.  
  
"If it doesn't work, come back to me. We'll find something else, okay?"  
  
"Okay. Thank you again, Circe."  
  
She nodded and bowed playfully, gesturing to the doors. "My lord."  
  
He grinned at her, and left for Greece, to bring his beautiful princess back to the living.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
Ares was in the altar room of his main temple. Xena's lifeless body was laying on the altar, previously dressed in a simple black gown by one of the priestesses.   
  
Ares waved his hand, and a dark table appeared next to him, and he placed the book on it. He glanced at the materials he needed for the spell: the book, thirteen black candles, the blood of a cow drained in a black basin, a slender dagger, and incense. Reading through the instructions one last time and taking a deep breath, he begins the ritual. Lighting each candle, he placed six on her right side, six on her left, and one above her head. Setting the basin of blood between her parted legs, he set the dagger down parallel to it. He dipped his fingers in the cow's blood and drew three horizontal lines across her forehead. He dipped his index finger in again and placed a large drop of blood underneath the lines. Grabbing the dagger, he slip open the top of her black dress. He dipped the dagger into the blood, and, as he began to start copying ancient runes onto Xena's chest, he chanted the following:  
  
"O spirit of darkness  
Lord of the night  
Return to us this woman  
Restore her to our sight  
I call on you, o great one  
Use your powers divine!  
Allow her to live!  
Again to be mine!"  
  
When the runes were copied, he sat the dagger aside, and took the basin in his hands.  
  
He chanted, "O spirit of darkness. Lord of the night. Return to us this woman. Restore her to our sight." Lifting the basin to his lips, he drank half of the remaining blood. Once again he chanted, "I call on you, o great one. Use your powers divine! Allow her to live! Again to be mine!" He parted Xena's lips and poured some of the blood into her mouth. The rest he poured around the candles. He chanted for the last time, "O spirit of darkness. Lord of the night. Return to us this woman. Restore her to our sight. I call on you, o great one. Use your powers divine! Allow her to live! Again to be mine!"  
  
Ares watched in amazement as the candle light flickered, and then went out. He looked to the sky as a clap of thunder could be heard and the wind picked up, blowing the heavy temple doors open. A flash of lightening went through the room, and then all was still. Suddenly, disturbing the peace, and making Ares jump, the candles lit themselves.   
  
When he could see again, Xena was sitting straight up on the altar, gasping for air.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
CHAPTER THREE  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
"Xena!"  
  
Ares stood there in shock for a moment, as Xena continued to breathe deeply. Finally, coming to his senses, he took her by the waist, helping her to get her feet over the side of the altar. He sat down next to her as she bent over, trying to catch her breath.   
  
When she finally did, she looked up at him. She slid closer to him, lying her head on his shoulder. "You did it... I can't believe you did it..."  
  
"I told you I'd either get you back or join you, didn't I?" Ares asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her onto his lap.   
  
"How did you do it?"  
  
Ares shifted uncomfortably. "Black magic," he muttered finally.  
  
Her head went up immediately. "You didn't!"   
  
"I did."  
  
"You - you....bastard.... You shouldn't have... How do you know if there are any strings attached or not?"  
  
He looked past her, refusing to look her in the eye. "I don't..."  
  
She sighed, tired and angry. Shaking her head, she said, "I'm tired, Ares. Let's go home, okay?"  
  
He rose an eyebrow. "Home?"  
  
"You know what I mean. Mount Olympus, your palace, your bedroom. You know."  
  
Before she got the last words out, he had transported them to his bedroom.   
  
"Thank you," she murmured, as she laid down on the black sheets.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
Xena, weak from the after effects of the dark ritual, slept for almost four days. But finally, on the night of the third day, she awoke.  
  
"Looks like somebody's finally up," Ares commented.  
  
"Yeah..." she replied sleepily. "I'm hungry."  
  
He laughed a little. "Alright then. What would you like, my dear?"  
  
"Rabbit..."  
  
He smirked a little as he waved his hand. A furry little brown rabbit appeared in her lap. She looked at it for a moment, still asleep It wiggled it's nose at her.  
  
Ares started laughing.  
  
"ROAST rabbit, dear," Xena said.  
  
The rabbit's eyes grew wide as she spoke, and it's whiskers twitched nervously.  
  
Ares picked it up. "Don't worry, Cuddles, I'm not going to roast you." He waved his free hand and a plate of roast rabbit appeared on her lap.  
  
"Thank you. And did you just call that thing Cuddles?"  
  
Ares nodded and moved over so that he was sitting across from her (at the foot of the bed). "This is Aphrodite's pet. She's had it since she was little."  
  
Xena shook her head. "Leave it to Aphrodite to name something Cuddles."  
  
Ares grinned, and a piece of lettuce appeared in his hands. He set Cuddles down and offered her the lettuce. With a greedy twitch of her nose she ate it.   
  
Xena shook her head again.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
Xena, still tired, didn't wake up for three more days. But when she did wake up, Ares was lying next to her, playing with her chakram.   
  
"Morning," she said.  
  
He glanced over at her, and then back at the chakram as it came flying back towards him. As he caught it, he looked back over at her. "Morning. I've been thinking...I'm gonna help you get your strength back again."  
  
She frowned. "No, no, no. I don't think so. Not again. I have to get back to Gabrielle." She started to get up, but he grabbed her wrist in an iron-grip.  
  
"Just for today at least."  
  
She sighed. "Alright."  
  
Ares nodded and waved his hand. They appeared in the same place they'd practiced before, near the waterfall. She was in her leathers and armor again.  
  
They fought for half an hour, and she started to feel fatigued. He was fighting harder than he ever had for some reason. Even harder than when her strength was up one-hundred percent. He was forcing her to use every last bit of strength she had left.  
  
Finally, Ares gave one particularly strong blow to her sword, and it flew from her grasp. She sighed, the game was over.  
  
But suddenly, Ares pulled her into his arms, kissing her brutally. With a thought, they appeared in his bedchamber, and she was now dressed in a scanty dress that looked more like something she would wear to bed.   
  
She looked up into his eyes uncertainly, and took a step back.  
  
He was staring at her, a lustful look in his eyes. No, not the one commonly worn by him...more like the way that bastard Petratonius looked at her...  
  
Faster than a panther going in for the kill, he had her down on the bed...  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
He made love to her that night, but not like he always did... That night he was more demanding, in it only for his pleasure, not for hers. Yes...there was something different about him...  
  
She was lying there, in the sweaty black silk sheets, his arms wrapped around her, thinking about what just happened.  
  
What was different about him? What could possibly be different about him?   
  
She turned her head around to look at him. He was sleeping. But she could tell that something *was* different...she didn't know how exactly, but she could tell.  
  
She looked at him for a moment, confused and tired, and then got up, grabbing a robe and wrapping her body in it.  
  
She walked out of the room, and leaned against the wall, letting a deep breath out. She thought for a moment, and then decided what she needed to do.  
  
"Aphrodite!" she called.  
  
Aphrodite appeared in front of her, a look of shock and horror on her face as she saw her.  
  
"You - you're dead!" she said, backing away from Xena.  
  
"No!" Xena said. "Ares raised me from the dead... I'm not a ghost or shade or anything, Aphrodite. I'm back. And I need your help."  
  
Aphrodite looked at her uncertainly. Poking her with a prim index finger, and finding that she was indeed a solid, living person, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, babe, you're alive. Whaddya need from me?"  
  
"I need you to distract Ares."  
  
Aphrodite looked at her incredulously. "You're kidding! Why on earth would you need me to do that?"  
  
Xena tells her that he's been acting strange, and her theory.  
  
Aphrodite's eyes get wide. "You're kidding, right?"  
  
Xena shook her head.  
  
"Okay...well...I guess I can do that... You, warrior babe, are totally, like, insane though!"  
  
"Okay then. Transport me to Circe's island?"  
  
~*~  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
CHAPTER FOUR  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
It was late at night, and Xena was at the doors of Circe's palace. She didn't know whether she should go in or not, because it was urgent, but she had heard stories about Circe before...  
  
Finally, doing what most would call 'walking right into their death', she opened the doors. She found herself in a long hallway, lit up brightly with torches. Walked down the hallway, she was careful to avoid the animals. Coming to a large room, she looked around. There was a desk, a bookcase, a couch, and a huge window. Doing a double take of the window, she noticed someone was standing near it, looking out. The person was wearing a long black cloak with a hood over their head.  
  
"Circe?" she asked.  
  
When the person turned, Xena's cheeks flushed. It was a guy!  
  
Oops!  
  
He grinned and took the cloak off. "Circe? I'm afraid not. Just her apprentice, my dear!"   
  
She looked him over and rose a brow.  
  
The hood had hidden his short blonde hair. She wondered why he'd been wearing it in the first place. It was warm outside, and in the palace. She continued to look him over. He didn't look anything like a sorceress's apprentice. He looked to be in his mid-twenties or early thirties. He had blue eyes that seemed to hold a friendliness, yet they held a...deepness...or seriousness? that told you he knew what the world was about.  
  
She suddenly noticed she had been staring.  
  
Oh dear...those eyes are almost as entrancing as Ares's...  
  
He took her hand in his and kissed it. "My name is Jacob. Well, most everybody but Circe calls me Jake. Who might you be?"  
  
"Um...Xena," she said.  
  
His face fell a bit, but he covered it back up with a bright smile. "I've heard of you before. You're the one Ares needed that spell for, correct?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah."  
  
"So, what brings you out to this island?"  
  
"I need to see Circe about the spell that she gave Ares. I think something's happened..."  
  
"Oh... Did you happen to bring the book with you?" Jacob asked.  
  
Xena took the bag from her back, and retrieved the book. "Here it is..."  
  
He took it from her hands and laid it down on the desk. "Milady? Circe?" he called.  
  
"What is it, Jacob?" a voice called from another room.  
  
"I think we have a problem. It's about Ares. Xena thinks the spell he used did something. She's here right now."  
  
They could hear a small crash and muttered cursing. Finally Circe appeared in the doorway, her white dress covered in a bluish liquid. She had a rag, and was wiping her hands and dress off. She approached Xena and held out her hand, which Xena shook. "What's happened?"  
  
"Ares has been acting strange... And I don't know what's wrong. He was fine when I woke up the first time, but since then he's been...different. I'm not sure..." Xena tried to explain.  
  
"Let's take a look at the book, shall we?" Circe asked, and walked to the desk. She sat down on the chair and studied the book. She flipped through every page, looking for something that would explain what had happened. Finally she reached the back cover, and sighed. But something caught her eye. Something was etched in the hard back cover of the book! A symbol was at the top...three horizontal lines with a red dot underneath them. Underneath were words. But they weren't Sanskrit or Greek like all the others.  
  
"Tamil," Circe muttered. "Jacob, take a look at this and see if you can translate it."  
  
Jacob went over and positioned the book so he could read it.   
  
"The will of the summoner  
Shall be done.  
But thou shalt pay the price.  
Bali will take thy soul and body  
If thou decides to use his magic.  
Thirteen days is all that's left,  
So do as thou dost wish.  
But thirteen days after the spell 'tis spoken,  
Thy bond with this cruel world be broken."  
  
"How many days has it been since Ares performed the spell?" Circe asked.  
  
"I - I'm not sure."  
  
"Think!"  
  
"Um...tomorrow will be the eighth day," Xena said.  
  
Circe closed her eyes. "I've seen this before. The reason that there were changes today and not before is because today is the seventh day. That's a little bit more than half of the thirteen days, which means that Bali has control over Ares. Not complete control, but almost. We have to get Bali out of Ares's body before he has *complete* control, or else Ares's soul will be destroyed."  
  
Xena stared at her for a moment, and then regained her composure. "How do we do that?"  
  
"An exorcism," Jacob said. "We'd have to perform an exorcism."  
  
"Have either of you done that before?" Xena asked.  
  
"I've done it many times before," Circe said. "But Jacob never has. We were going to get to that soon."  
  
"Which god or goddess does it call on power for?" Xena inquired.  
  
"This particular spell calls on Hecate."  
  
Xena nodded. "Alright then...tell me how to do this."  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
Xena sat on the altar of Hecate's temple, legs dangling off the side. Swallowing hard, and looking back into the shadows to be sure that Circe and Jacob were still there, she closed her eyes and called out, "Ares!"  
  
Nothing happened. Again she called, "Ares?!"  
  
Finally, 'Ares' appeared, looking rather calm, but Xena could see past that. He was irritated, not that he wouldn't have a reason to be...he didn't know she knew, so he had to act as Ares would to her until he got ultimate control over the body he was in.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Xena beckoned him over with a slender finger and motioned for him to join her on the altar. He did as she wanted.  
  
"What is it, Xena?"  
  
"Kiss me."  
  
Ares/Bali eyed her carefully, suspicion forming in his mind. Where were they, anyway? He didn't recognize it. Maybe it was some important spot to Ares and Xena?  
  
Shrugging his shoulders a bit, he leaned over and met her lips.  
  
Xena waited until she could see that his eyes were closed, and then moved her hands behind him. One wrapped around his neck, and the other slipped down to the side of the altar, grabbing a chain forged by Hephaestus. She moved to sit on his lap, straddling him. She continued the kiss hungrily, passionately, and before he knew what was happening, Xena had chained his hands to the altar. Quick as lightening, she moved down to his feet, grabbing the chains, and binding him in those. Before he could kick her or inflict any damage, she jumped off of him.   
  
"Let me out! Let me out of here, you bitch!" Bali shouted angrily.  
  
Xena flinched slightly, these words coming in the voice of someone she loved.  
  
Circe and Jacob stepped out of the shadows. Circe held a silver medallion above her head.  
  
"Silver medallion  
Protector of my kind  
Hold in place this dark god  
So his fate may he find."  
  
Instantly all of Bali's struggles stopped, and the threats and curses ceased.  
  
Xena took a deep breath and went over to a table hidden by darkness. Pulling it over to stand by the altar, she picked up thirteen lit candles.  
  
Placing six on each side of Bali, and then one above his head, she looked back at the table, and picked up a bottle of oil.  
  
Circe, realizing that she was ready, flicked her wriest. Bali's vest disappeared.  
  
Xena poured some of the oil into the palm of her hand. She spread it across his forehead, his arms, his chest, and his stomach.  
  
"With this oil I make thee worthy."  
  
She wiped her hands on a towel, and then picked up a dagger. Running it over her wrist so that it made a small cut, she moved her finger to cause the blood to drip down into a chalice, previously filled with the blood of an animal. She picked the chalice up, and spread its contents around the candles.   
  
"With this blood I make sacrifice."  
  
She picked up a mug of water, and then forced his lips to part. Pouring the water down his throat, she recited,  
  
"With this water I cleanse thy soul."  
  
Putting all items back on the table, she hesitantly leaned down. She captured his lips with her own, and kissed him deeply.  
  
"With this kiss I exorcise."  
  
Xena turned to Jacob and Circe, nodding her head. Circe moved to the right side of the altar, and Jacob to the foot of it. Each of them grasped the silver medallions around their necks, holding them up in the dim light. Xena started the ending chant.   
  
"Hands and feet on altar bound."  
  
Jacob continued, "Demon sink into the ground."  
  
And Circe. "Anointed forehead, arms, and breast."  
  
Xena again. "Cleanse thy soul; let evil rest."  
  
"Thirteen candles, black as night."  
  
"Conquering darkness with their light."  
  
"Crystal chalice, now blood red."  
  
"Fierce wind howls with call of dead."  
  
"Slender dagger, sharp and cold."  
  
"Temple echoes with whispers of old."  
  
"Goddess Hecate, let this end!"  
  
"Dark god be forgotten once again!"  
  
The wind outside went wild, and the temple doors swung open, but the lights did not go out. They merely flickered, but remained strong. Bali howled out in agony as he was ripped from Ares' body in a cloud of black smoke.  
  
The three covered their eyes as the cloud burst into gold light, and then vanished.   
  
The next thing Xena saw was Ares - *her* Ares - sitting up (or trying to) on the altar, gasping for breath.   
  
When he finally caught his breath, he looked up at Xena, and then back down at himself. "Uh...Sweetheart...got somethin' kinky in mind? I'm game..." He grinned at her wickedly.  
  
Xena stared at him for a moment, and then bent down and enveloped him in her arms. The candles were kicked onto the ground as she knelt on the edge of the altar, hugging him and never wanting to let go. She finally looked up, her own body now smeared with oil and blood.  
  
"You're back," she said.  
  
Ares shrugged through the chains as best he could. "Um...mind filling me in with what the hell just happened?"  
  
Xena smiled a little. "To make a long story short, your body was inhabited by that god you called upon to raise me from the dead. We only had thirteen days to get you back, or he'd have total control. We did an exorcism, and you're back. No more Bali."  
  
Ares rose his brow and nodded, still completely lost. "Whatever you say, Sweet." He looked down at his hands and feet. "Mind taking these off? Unless of course, you'd like to...ahem...do something more here?" he hinted again.  
  
Xena shook her head and released him from his bonds.   
  
Ares sat up on the altar, looking around, and seeming to finally notice Circe and Jacob.  
  
"Circe," he said. "Teaching my warrior how to do the dark arts?"  
  
Circe shook her head. "You both were pretty damn good at it..."  
  
"And who is this?" Ares asked, referring to the young man at the foot of the altar.  
  
"Jacob, my apprentice."  
  
Ares nodded, looking from Jacob to Xena suspiciously. He looked like one of those 'goody-goody cute guys' that Xena might fall for ever-so-slightly.  
  
Xena rolled her eyes, reading what he was thinking. "I'm yours, Ares."  
  
"Mmm," Circe spoke up. "But...if you're his...why not make the ultimate commitment?"  
  
"What would that be?" Ares asked.  
  
"Well...there's a spell that binds you forever. It weaves your threads of destiny together into one. When one dies, the other does too. When one feels pain, so does the other. There is nothing you do not share."  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
"Ares, God of War, my mentor, my lover, I pledge myself to you, to be loyal always. I promise now, to be yours and yours alone. I will never hurt you again. Forgive me for past mistakes, and accept me as your wife." She slipped a silver ring onto his finger.  
  
"Xena, Warrior Princess, my temptress, my queen, I pledge myself to you, to be faithful forever. I promise now, to be yours and yours alone. I will never hurt you again. Forgive me for past mistakes, and accept me as your husband." He paused for a second, looking deeply into her eyes, not able to believe they were actually doing this after all this time. Slipping a silver and black onyx ring onto her finger, they continued together.  
  
"Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos -- we demand that you weave our threads into one  
In doing so we condemn each other to our own fates  
If one of us dies, the other will do the same  
We will share each others heartaches  
We will share each others pain  
We will share each others joys and happiness  
Fates, we demand you weave our threads into one  
So we may be together always, through everything to come"  
  
The two rose their glasses to each other, and then drank of the sacred wine. Taking Xena's glass from her hand, Ares put them both down on the cherry table. Leaning down, he pressed his lips against hers in the binding kiss.   
  
Instantly, they could feel the difference. They could feel each other's presence now more than ever before.  
  
Xena grinned mischievously, remembering something that Circe had told her and not Ares.   
  
***Areeeeees?*** she spoke into his mind.  
  
He jumped a little in surprise, and then stared down at her, eyes wide.   
  
***I'm guessing you can hear me?*** Xena asked  
  
***Why didn't you tell me we'd have telepathia?***  
  
She grinned again and shrugged. "Because I thought it would be fun to surprise you," she spoke aloud.  
  
He smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her slim waist. A moment later they were in his bedroom, the only light coming from the small white candles on a few tables. Ares leaned down, lips resting near her ear.   
  
"I love you, My Queen," he whispered huskily.  
  
"And I love you, Ares," she said softly, her arms wrapping around his neck as he lifted her onto the bed.  
  
In only one night, two lives, two souls, and two heart beats became as one. The Warrior Princess and her God of War found what each had been looking for without even realizing it at first. They finally found the person who would make their lives complete. They finally found love.  
  
~*~*_*~*~  
  
THE END   
  
  



End file.
